Toothbrush



W. E. KNAPP Sept. 24, 1929.

TOOTHBRUSH Filed Avril 3, 1928 INVENTOR' BY 2 I 5;

%/3/ AT oRNEY Patented Sept. 24, 1929 UNITED STATES WALTER E. KNAPP, OFLOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS TOOTHBRUSH Application filed April 3,

The present invention relates to tooth brushes.

The principal object of the present invention is to produce a toothbrush which may be maintained in a sanitary condition.

To the accomplishment of this object a feature of the present inventioncontemplates the provision of a tooth brush having its tooth-engagingsurface formed of asbestos.

l/Vith this construction the tooth brush may be purified by fire or byboiling water as the tooth-engaging surface is non-inflammable and notinjuriously affected by moisture. vAsbestos may be woven or braided intoa convenient form for use. The textile fabric thus produced may beshaped by folding and/or by molding to conform it to the configurationof the teeth.

Other features of the present invention consist in certain devices,combinations and arrangements of parts the advantages of which will beobvious to those skilled in the art from the following description.

The various features of the present invention will be explained inconnection with the accompanying drawing, illustrating a simple form ofthe invention, in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective of the tooth brush;

Fig. 2 is a perspective showing the textile asbestos folded to form thetooth-engaging surface, and

Fig. 3 is a perspective-showing the means for detachably connecting thetextile asbestos to the handle of the tooth brush.

Referring to the drawing, the tooth brush comprises a handle 4 and atooth-engaging portion 5. The tooth-engaging portion 5 is composed ofasbestos. Preferably a textile fabric sheet is used, formed by weavingor by braiding. The asbestos sheet is preferably folded, in the mannershown by Fig. 2, about a removable core piece. The interr stices in thebase portion of the folded fabric 1928. Serial No. 266,984.

are filled with some material, such as glass, porcelain or clay and thewhole is molded to the shape illustrated in Fig. 2. After molding thefilled base may then be baked to solidify the filling or bindingmaterial. On removing the core a central cuneiform opening 6 is formedinto which may be wedged a cuneiform end 7 on the handle 4. The binderin the base portion of the asbestos body portion imparts ample strengththereto for the reception of the handle end and enables the brush to beused in a vigorous manner without disintegration. As shown in Fig. 2 themolding of the asbestos fabric sheet produces a broad base 8 and leavesa longitudinally corrugated tooth-engaging surface 9. The tooth-engagingsurface 9 may be molded, if desired, to form the lateral corrugations l0and the longitudinal concavity 11, Fig. 1.

WVith this construction the tooth-engaging surface 5 may be readilydetached from the handle 4 and then subjected to the action of a blueflame or it may be boiled which purifies the asbestos surface withoutinjury thereto. Experience in the use of this tooth brush demonstratesthat it massages the gums in a highly beneficial manner Without thattendency to puncture the gums which is a characteristic feature of thelancet-like animal bristle type of tooth brush.

It will be apparent to those skilled in this art that changes may bemade in the details of construction, the described and illustratedembodiment of the invention being intended an exploitation of itsunderlying essentials, the features whereof will be definitely stated intheir true scope in the claims hereto appended.

What is claimed as new, is:

1. A. tooth brush having its tooth-brushing surface formed of asbestos.

2 A tooth brush having its tooth-brushing surface formed of a foldedlayer of textile asbestos.

3. A tooth brush comprising a handle having a cuneiform end and a padformed of a layer of textile asbestos folded to bring its edges into atooth-engaging surface and provided with a cuneiform opening for Wedgingengagement with the cuneiform end of the handle.

4. A tooth brush pad comprising a layer of textile asbestos folded tobring its edges into a tooth-engaging surface and a binder for holdingthe folded condition.

layer of asbestos in its WALTER E. KNAPP.

